Bass Blog

Obviously, playing a bass that's in tune is a must, especially if you are playing with other people. An out of tune instrument will immediately sound unprofessional, and will leave you looking like a less-valuable member of the band. Surprisingly, many players overlook intonation. Though newer players won’t always know when they are out of tune, as you continue to play, listen to music, and hone your skills, you will be able to hear when you are out of tune even without the help of a tuner. Listening to your bass and being sure it stays in tune not just when you start playing, but during the entire set or time that you are playing, is a must. Many players tune before a gig, and then don't think about it again. The truth is, outside factors can cause your intonation to change, even throughout a gig. However, you can usually expect your bass to stay in tune for your entire set or practice session. If it doesn’t, your bass may need some TLC!

In our last blog post "When To Change Your Bass Strings", we talked about when it's time to change your bass strings. Some players hardly ever change their strings because they like the sound that their worn-in strings produce. James Jamerson, one of the great Motown legends, rarely changed his strings. However, there are some clear indications to look out for when your strings are worn out, when they're affecting the quality of your sound, and when they need to be replaced.

Part of learning how to play bass is learning how to take care of your bass guitar, because, as the cliche goes, “If you take care of your bass, your bass will take care of you.” In order for your bass to sound good and to keep being playable for years to come, you must care for your bass and one of those necessary care things you must do is changing out your strings.

While most online references will indicate that the history of the bass guitar dates back to the 1950’s with the Fender Precision electric bass, the true history of the modern-day bass began approximately 30 years earlier with Lloyd Loar’s invention of the double bass. It is also possible to ascertain that the real forefather of the bass guitar as we know it was in fact the Latin guitarron, or fingernail bass, that was a fixture in traditional Latin music as far back as the 1600’s. In modern times, a bass guitar is used to establish the beat and melody for many styles of music including blues, country, pop, metal, reggae and rock. Apart from natural talent and endless hours of practicing licks and scales, a selection of nifty tools and accessories can make a world of difference in the life of a bass guitarist.

We're excited to announce our first official gear giveaway, courtesy of our amazing friends at Warwick & Framus, Gator Cases, Dunlop/MXR, and EMG Pickups. This will be a completely FREE giveaway done exclusively through our Instagram Page@lowendu each week throughout the month of September. The next two prize winners will be randomly drawn each Friday afternoon through our Instagram page on a live stream (September 22nd and 29th).

WEEK 3 PRIZE:

2X Bass Gig Bag (Gator Cases - G-PG BASS 2X)

[Winner was announced Friday, September 22nd - Congrats to @road.to.awe - you win!]

Check out this video to see the gig bag in action!

Please follow the rules below carefully each week to be eligible:

1. 'Like' our giveaway post each week on the @lowendu Instagram page and tag 5 friends in the comments each time.

We're excited to announce our first official gear giveaway, courtesy of our amazing friends at Warwick & Framus, Gator Cases, Dunlop/MXR, and EMG Pickups. This will be a completely FREE giveaway done exclusively through our Instagram Page@lowendu each week throughout the month of September. The next three prize winners will be randomly drawn each Friday afternoon through our Instagram page on a live stream (September 15th, 22nd, and 29th).

WEEK 2 PRIZE:

MXR Sub Octave Fuzz Pedal (brand new pedal released 6 weeks ago)

[Winner was announced Friday, September 15th - Congrats to @yxngrobot - you win!]

Check out the pedal in action in our demo video below!

Please follow the rules below carefully each week to be eligible:

1. 'Like' our giveaway post each week on the @lowendu Instagram page and tag 5 friends in the comments each time.

We're excited to announce our first official gear giveaway, courtesy of our amazing friends at Warwick & Framus, Gator Cases, EMG Pickups, and Dunlop/MXR. This will be a completely FREE giveaway done exclusively through our Instagram Page@lowendu each week throughout the month of September. Prize winners will be randomly drawn each Friday afternoon through our Instagram page on a live stream (September 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th).

WEEK 1 PRIZE:

ANY set of EMG Pickups for bass (4, 5, or 6-string set)!

[Winner was announced Friday, September 8th - Congrats to @althebassist - you win!]

Please follow the rules below carefully each week to be eligible:

1. 'Like' our giveaway post each week on the @lowendu Instagram page and tag 5 friends in the comments each time.

Have you ever wondered how to just "create" a chord progression out of thin air? It's easier than you think! First, decide on a key (....duh?), and then simply go through the notes within the scale and start arranging the chords that are native to that key.

Okay, that's already starting to sound like a foreign language - look no further than this lesson from the archives showing you how to create a clear and easy-to-understand "chord bank" and how to choose chords from there. Better yet? This can all be utilized on an extended-range bass to create beautiful solo bass pieces and chord structures. Double whammy, right?

In this lesson, you'll learn how to:

1. Create a "chord bank" comprising of 14 different chords that work together

2. Understand why these chordwork together and their relation to one another

3. Use "out of key" chords borrowed from the "sister scale" of a given key

4. Create massive tension and resolve within these same 14 chords

5. Construct chords for extended-range basses with additional tips

Please be sure to 'Subscribe' to our YouTube channel and share this article with a bass player you know!

Looking for a new way to organize those same old 5 notes you keep going back to in your trusty pentatonic scales? The "Moving Box" bass fill is a very universal and very flexible lick that is great for resolving chord progressions, linking chords together, and introduces a unique phrasing into your bass fills and lines.

Also, this fretboard pattern lends itself to never ever hitting an out-of-key note if you use it from the root note of a given key...check it out below, and give the video a 'Like' if you enjoyed it! Also, please be sure to 'Subscribe' to our YouTube channel and share this article with a bass player you know!

Have you ever been jamming some metal tunes, and thought "Man, I can hardly hear these fast 16th notes I'm playing...it sounds like one big whole note instead!" - me too friend, me too. Now, there are many other ways to remedy this by use of tone, effects, compression - you name it. BUT, sometimes you might just need to cut through on a certain "heavier" section, and then once the br00tal chugging stops, you can hear your note definition again. In this case, we here at Low End University wouldn't advise making an ENTIRE tonal change for a few sections, so instead, just substitute in this "heavy metal technique", and you'll cut through like a champ. In other cases, using a pick would suffice for that extra note "sizzle", but maybe you aren't great with a pick yet. Thankfully, our lesson content inside the website can teach you how to use one, so don't forget to join up. In the meantime, be sure to 'Subscribe' to our YouTube channel and share this article with a bass player you know!

Let's face it - practicing scales is a chore at this point, isn't it? It is for me. Why bother playing something that I can already play very well, very fluidly, and very fast? The answer is because I NEED to. Scales are the building blocks of music, whether you like it or not. However, the truth is that you rarely find an example of a scale in real music that's played the way you practiced it: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C...nope, it rarely happens. Instead, melodies and bass lines and riffs are SIMILAR to the way you practice scales, but usually always have a variation on the order of notes with accents on places other than the root note. Well, why not start practicing scales more like the music in the real world? This lesson demonstrates five variations on scale practicing that are guaranteed to make your scale practicing a little more interesting, and a little more challenging. Especially for that poor plucking hand - it needs a challenge too! Be sure to 'Subscribe' to our YouTube channel and share this article with a bass player you know!

Sometimes, it may seem like there are billions of arpeggio shapes to learn. Next, you realize there are billions of chords to learn. The truth is, the vast majority of music and songs are all rooted from the same types of chords and their respective arpeggios. Take a sigh of relief and understand that, once you know the core group of chord shapes and arpeggios, everything else becomes much more manageable and familiar. You will soon realize that very complex chords are actually just the same ole' major and minor arpeggios you already know, with just a few extra notes added on. Easy, right? I guarantee you that if you learn these ten arpeggio shapes (and their variations), you'll be set for life. These ten arpeggio shapes have shown up the most for me over the years, and I know they will (and have) for you too! Be sure to 'Subscribe' to our YouTube channel and share this article with a bass player you know!